PI’s Declassified!

Do you want to know how to protect your cell phone privacy or detect spyware on your smartphone? Are there warning signs that your phone is infected with spyware? Are there applications available to prevent your phone from being tapped or to catch the spy red-handed? Kevin D. Murray is an expert on mobile phone electronic surveillance and eavesdropping detection, known as technical surveillance countermeasures. He is also the author of Is My Cell Phone Bugged? Tune in to hear Kevin Murray discuss detecting mobile phone spyware, and tips to protect your most private conversations.

We have always believed schools were a safe-haven for our children. It is hard to imagine that people who work in our schools as teachers, administers, or maintenance workers may not be there to protect and teach our students but may have an intent to harm them. Jimmie Mesis, a New Jersey private investigator and editor and publisher of internationally recognized PI Magazine, works with schools and has shocking information to report. Turn in to listen to Jimmie Mesis discuss what schools can do to protect themselves from predators.

October marks the 27th anniversary of the disappearance of eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling, Jacob was abducted at gunpoint in 1989, 27 years ago. Jacob’s remains were found just one month ago. Danny Heinrich, long a person of interest and who has been pending trial on charges of child pornography, led authorities to an undisclosed location in Central Minnesota. In a bizarre twist to the case, Jodi Huisentruit, a news anchor and one who reported on Jacob’s case also disappeared. Emmy award-winning investigative reporter, Caroline Lowe, was called to cover Jacob’s case and has been deeply involved with the details or both his and the disappearance of Jodi as well. Tune in to hear Caroline Lowe to discuss the inside story of Jacob’s kidnapping and the recent confession by his killer.

Private investigators deal with issues of race and culture daily. Racial and cultural conflicts are found throughout the American landscape from border to border and in every state. It is present in the smallest community and in the largest metropolis, in the schools and in the workplace, in the neighborhoods and in the places where we shop. Sometimes, within our own homogeneous environments, we might even forget it exists. But it is there! Although often subtle, never is it so obvious than when a white man shoots a black man. It is then when the true beliefs of many are unleashed to fuel the conversation of the nation. Tune in to hear Private Investigator and author, Eric Echols, an African American man who is no stranger to the pain of racism, address this ever turbulent topic candidly and honestly.

Who better to address immigration law than an attorney who was an immigrant herself? That is the case with Sharron SK Williams who immigrated to the United States from Belize. She is a practicing attorney who is right in the middle of addressing visa petitions, naturalization, permits for re-entry, asylum, religious worker petitions, unaccompanied immigrant children and other immigrant-related matters. Join PI’s Declassified! to hear Sharon SK Williams discuss both the challenges she faces as a lawyer specializing in immigration law and her work as a human rights advocate.

Law enforcement policies and tactics have landed directly under the nation’s microscope of late. Many wonder what happened? Most individuals who sign on as sworn officers do so because they want to make a difference. What happens then? Is it their training or is something else afoot? A 34-year veteran law enforcement officer, retired police chief, and multiple award recipient, Dr. Norm Stamper, has much to say on the subject. He is the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing and To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America’s Police. Join Norm Stamper for a thoughtful discussion on policing in the United States.

Private investigators must be aware of how their actions may impact others. The American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Conduct sets forth directives for behavior not only for attorneys but for non-lawyers as well and are enforceable in all but eight states. Violations can result in sanctions or worse. Therefore. If a lawyer retains an investigator, that attorney is liable for the investigator’s actions. Certainly, there are gray areas in investigation tactics, but some, particularly when it applies to surveillance, pretexting, GPS tracking, and social media are mine-fields unless there is a clear understanding between the investigator and the attorney regarding the assigned tasks. Whose responsibility is it then? Ultimately it is counsel’s responsibility, but private investigators must also take the lead to ensure what techniques can be used for a particular assignment. Join PI’s Declassified and Attorney Forrest Plesko discuss strategies to avoid these ethical pitfalls.

As astonishing as it may sound, false confessions do exist. It is a mystery to most of us. Why would anyone confess to a crime they didn’t commit, particularly a murder? The reasons are varied and often complex. Nevertheless, the facts demonstrate one in four individuals exonerated by DNA made either an incriminating statement or a false confession. That couldn’t happen to me, you say, however, psychologists say that anyone is susceptible, and some are more vulnerable than others. April Higuera is a seasoned private investigator who specializes in investigating thorny criminal cases. Tune in to hear the discussion on this phenomenon of false confessions.

Have you ever participated in a news conference? Does interfacing with the media help or hurt your case? Is your standard answer 'No comment!' What is the media looking for? What about your client’s privacy? Is it time for a professional media or public relations consultant? Join former law enforcement public relations officer and TV News veteran, Don Shook, who will provide media relations tips.